The Eldest Daughter of the Tang Clan of Sichuan Protects the Family

Part 1

Chapter 7. Formation

At those words, Tang Min looked down at the girl. The child, whose thoughts were unreadable, was now staring straight at him.

So-hwa smiled and said in a small voice,

"If we're lucky, we might be able to get an elixir from the Yeonju Group, but we can't have too many people watching."

"... Why not?"

"The Clan Head is strict about those things. He'd store it in the storeroom and later grant it as a reward to someone who contributes to the clan. That can't happen."

So-hwa shook her head.

"Something like that should be taken by the best of the Tang Clan. So it's not good to have many eyes on it."

"The best of the Tang Clan, huh."

He had heard that phrase for decades, but hearing it in the calm voice of a descendant brought a fresh feeling.

Tang Min had already taken elixirs made by the Tang Clan. Even as a formidable expert, he had consumed plenty of elixirs, but to a martial artist, elixirs were always something to crave, no matter how much one had.

Then, So-hwa's gaze suddenly shifted toward Tang Hak.

"And if we're lucky enough to get another, we'll give it to Hak-ah too."

"... Why that child?"

Tang Min's expression crumpled at being suddenly grouped on the same level as Tang Hak.

"Hak-ah is the Tang Clan's greatest late-stage genius. We should feed him well and raise him properly."

"......"

The word he didn't want to acknowledge rang in his ears, and Tang Min's mood sank.

Tang Hak acted so soft and idiotic that one would doubt he was even a blood relative of the Tang Clan, but he was the first prodigy to appear in seventy years. Although he was a step below what he himself had been seventy years ago, considering the current standard of the Murim, someone like Tang Hak was decent enough to be called a prodigy.

Tang Hak never forgot a single incantation he saw once, and any martial art he learned was internalized within half a day. Considering his fingers hadn't fully matured yet, it was an impressive talent.

This was why, even if Tang Ji-ha bragged about her foolish son and venomous daughter, the Elders would only curse him three times out of the ten they wanted to.

They couldn't help it either—as members of the Tang Clan, when imagining the next generation, they felt full and pleased for no reason.

A smile also crept onto Tang Min's lips.

'Those arrogant Namgung bastards and the loud-mouthed Peng Clan bastards won't be able to say a word when these children lead the Tang Clan.'

So-hwa followed with a smile and turned her gaze.

Though she had good stamina, the granddaughter who ascended the mountain in a palanquin, like a sly snake, stared at the gap in the cliffs with an unreadable expression.

What was she thinking again?

It wasn't anything bad.

Not being able to read her thoughts was a strength.

It was fortunate that this child was born a direct descendant of the Tang Clan.

Tang So-hwa's talent leaned more toward constitution than martial arts. The child was born with a detoxifying constitution and had keen senses.

Even when given poison to build resistance, which would normally cause a fever in a child, Tang So-hwa didn't even flinch. Noticing the unique constitution, the Head of the Medical Hall changed the composition of the resistance poisons with the Clan Head's permission. And at only five years old, the child noticed the mixture had been changed.

Surprised, Tang Ji-ha summoned the Head of the Medical Hall in charge of poison and tested Tang So-hwa.

In an ordinary family, the idea of feeding poison to one's child would be unimaginable, but since the Tang Clan dealt with poisons, it was standard practice to raise resistance from a young age to prevent accidents.

Considering the cost of ingredients, it was education for safety, not abuse.

At any rate, the amazing thing was that the small child could accurately identify the days when the mixture was changed and even pick out the days the same mix was used, all without a single stomachache. Considering how tiny the amounts given were, it was an unbelievable talent.

Whether they were from the main family or a branch family, if a child had talent, there was no way the Clan Head couldn't be fond of them. And since this child was his daughter, Tang Ji-ha easily lost his composure.

When Tang So-hwa turned seven, that man gifted her a Dokgo (poison bug). It was an incredibly valuable creature, one that even the Poison Pavilion raised with utmost care. But he gave it to the child like tossing a small animal, so there was much talk among the Elders. However, the mere seven-year-old gave her own blood and poison to the creature, observed it meticulously, and in the end, tamed the Dokgo.

It was an unknown story to So-hwa, but the Elders had been so shocked by this incident that they had strongly insisted she should not be allowed outside the inner courtyard, It was an implicit expression that no matter if he were a live-in son-in-law or whatever, they could not let So-hwa mingle with men from other clans. They believed she should be carefully confined, not even allowed to speak with others. They intended to turn Tang So-hwa into a living secret technique. Naturally, at the end of that thought came the fear of a leak.

The clever child quickly understood her own weapon. She learned medicine and poison techniques without a single complaint, just as the adults instructed, and even practiced martial arts in accordance with the greedy will of her father.

Looking down at the small head, Tang Min thought once more.

This child must never be handed over to another clan.

In truth, So-hwa would later become a woman of the Namgung, but that was a future Tang Min could not know. No, since that belonged to a past life, it was likely something that would not happen in this one.

As the Black Tiger Unit's boat reached the shore, those who had been waiting all boarded the small boat.

Splash.

The boat gently glided across the lake. Each time the long pole pushed against the bottom, the boat moved smoothly.

Passing through the shadowy gorge, a cold wind tickled So-hwa's hair. It was a soft, cool sensation, like someone's hand.

So-hwa closed her eyes, heightened her senses, and caught the scent woven into the wind.

Clear eyes slowly opened, reflecting the blue mountain.

Faintly, the scent of crushed grass and dried twigs mixed with the wind. It seemed there was a place nearby where prepared medicinal herbs were being dried.

Following the direction of the wind with her gaze, So-hwa spotted a single exceptionally tall tree. It was a pagoda tree.

The old tree shook its thin branches in the mountain wind.

The surrounding trees bore flowers or still-unripe green fruit, but that pagoda tree was lush only with leaves. As if someone had taken all its flowers and fruits.

The flower of the pagoda tree, goehwa (傀花), was an herb used to stop bleeding. Some physicians also used it regularly to prevent phlegm due to wind. It had been fifty years since the Yeonju Group had relocated their base, so they must be old now, too.

Goehwa, good for stopping bleeding and preventing phlegm—if the group's old physicians had taken them all, it was understandable. Whether for patients who came with stab wounds, or for their own aging bodies.

Tang So-hwa spoke to the martial artist steering the boat.

"Dock the boat by the pagoda tree."

"The pagoda tree?"

Not knowing which was the pagoda tree, the martial artist looked around. So-hwa pointed with her finger at the giant tree.

"That old tree."

At her words, the martial artist let out an ah and steered the boat. As they approached the shore, the scent of the medicinal herbs in the wind grew stronger.

***

As they entered the mountain path, a strange feeling crept in. The wind, thick with the scent of grass, was oddly refreshing. With each breath, there was a bizarre sensation of the body growing lighter.

But it wasn't an entirely pleasant sensation. The air, heavy with fragrance, clung stickily to the skin.

Tang So-hwa couldn't brush off the strange feeling so easily. The forest before her was certainly dense, but even so, the grassy scent was far too strong.

Unnatural.

As if something was being concealed by the scent.

Just then, she heard Tang Min's tongue click as he spoke.

"Well, now... it looks like a real tree. And yet, it doesn't."

He reached out and brushed a leaf.

"Huh? Grand Elder, you mean this might not be a tree?"

Tang Hak asked, eyes wide. Tang Min gave a faint smile.

"If we return it to nothingness, we'll know whether it's an illusion or not."

"Huh?"

The moment Tang Hak asked again, a flame flared from Tang Min's hand, and the leaf burst into flames. Strangely, the leaf vanished without a trace, like a bubble popping and losing its form.

"Tsk. Not even a burnt smell. It's an illusion."

Clicking his tongue, Tang Min placed his hand on the thick tree trunk. Instantly, Samadhi True Fire (a technique that creates flame through internal energy) burst forth along his touch, swallowing the tree. But just like before, the tree vanished as if it had never existed—no ash, no scent of burning.

Tang So-hwa's gaze toward the Tang Min turned sour.

She'd heard that Samadhi True Fire was only strong enough to burn paper or detoxify the body...

Did he get better at it from living in a constant drunken haze?

The sight of the so-called strongest of the Tang Clan from the outside was still hard to get used to.

Noticing So-hwa's reluctant gaze, Tang Min called out to her.

"So-hwa."

"Yes."

Tang Min casually approached, glancing around with interest.

"Seems we've found the right place, being caught in a formation."

Tang So-hwa calmly observed her surroundings.

The world within the formation was overly peaceful. It simply looped them back to where they'd started without harming intruders.

So-hwa pondered.

She had heard that Divine Physician Yeonju treated all patients, regardless of their status or nature. Yet, the Yeonju Group clearly harbored a wariness toward outsiders.

They might not strike first, but they remained hidden all the same.

Then again, not everyone who sought them out was a patient.

So-hwa lifted her head. The blue sky filled her vision.

How had Namgung Hyun come to meet Yeon-ah? He couldn't have possibly subdued the group by force.

There was no way Yeon-ah would have devoted her life to someone who harmed the group.

As her thoughts drifted onward, a light, wind-like laugh sounded beside her.

"Tsk. A child should act like a child."

"Huh?"

"You're thinking too much, aren't you?"

As Tang Min spoke those cryptic words, So-hwa narrowed her eyes. At the same moment, Tang Min began walking toward the spot where the tree had vanished. Catching on to what he intended, Tang So-hwa's eyes flew wide open.

"Ah, no! Don't!"

She had been thinking of a way for the Yeonju Group to come out and meet them on their own terms. But the impatient Tang Min was now trying to burn away the formation.

"It's fine, it's fine. There's no danger, so don't worry."

"That's not the issue!"

Their goal was to earn the goodwill of the Yeonju Group and Yeon-ah, not destroy the formation. But before she could finish speaking, Tang Min had already begun drawing up his internal energy. Just as he was about to unleash Samadhi True Fire into the forest—

Clang.

A sharp crack rang in their ears like it pierced the eardrum.

"Grand Elder, there's someone there!"

Tang Hak, also sensing something, had pulled out a dart while staring toward the bushes. So-hwa's gaze followed his.

From a spot that just moments ago had held no trace of presence, a sweet scent now flowed forth. It was a soft fragrance, somewhere between thick peach and crisp pear.

Before the scent had even fully spread, every Black Tiger unit member, except the three assigned to guard the direct descendants, bolted into the forest.

Claang. Clang.

A cold, metallic clashing echoed loudly from beyond the trees.

"You little thing... quite vicious, aren't you?"

Tang Min's voice rang out with a trace of laughter.

Though there was nothing visible yet, he was smiling as if he'd seen something. He suddenly yanked Tang So-hwa behind him and stepped forward.

"You stay back."

With a flick of his hand, Tang Min knocked away the blade flying toward him with a dart.

Clang.

With Tang Min blocking her line of sight, So-hwa couldn't fully grasp what was happening. All she could see were glimpses of a blade darting in and out of the outline of his figure before vanishing again. It was so fast she wouldn't have even noticed it without training in perception techniques.

No way...

As suspicion flickered across her mind, Tang Min's voice, still full of laughter, rang out again.

"Jin-hu, I'm fine. Don't come any closer."

At his relaxed tone, the deputy leader who had leapt out of the forest stopped mid-step. Catching on quickly, he turned instead and headed toward Tang So-hwa and Tang Hak.

"It's dangerous—please step back."

The siblings followed the deputy leader and withdrew from the path. Only then did the situation come into clear view.

A girl in shabby clothes was charging at Tang Min, wielding a massive sword nearly the size of her own body.